Raptors, Spurs pay tribute to Kobe Bryant in Toronto victory

The Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs (110-106) on Sunday, but none of that mattered when we learned that Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant and 7 other people were tragically killed in a helicopter crash Sunday morning in Los Angeles.

The news broke an hour before tip-off and the whole arena was noticeably devastated. At the start of the game, both teams committed a 24 second shot clock violation to honour Kobe Bryant’s number 24.

In the first quarter Pascal Siakam scored a franchise record 25 first quarter points. This allowed the Raptors to end the quarter with a 16 point lead. In the third quarter San Antonio made a comeback as they outscored the Raptors by 11 points. This was due to their incredible three point shooting and defending. In the fourth quarter both teams fought hard and traded baskets but Toronto ultimately came away with the win.

Raptors have now won 7 games in a row and now have sole possession of 2nd place in the Eastern Conference.

Up Next

Up next the Raptors have a date with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. They last played the Hawks on MLK day. They will look to duplicate that performance and get another victory.